Absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, pull-on diapers, training pants, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, incontinence briefs, and the like, are well known in the art and are highly effective for absorbing and containing urine and other bodily exudates. Since their introduction into the marketplace, absorbent articles have continued to improve with regard to fit and functionality. Absorbent articles are constructed to provide a snug and comfortable fit around the waist and legs of a wearer while maintaining the ability to contain large quantities of exudates without leakage or adverse impact to the wearer's skin.
However, absorbent articles such as diapers have not advanced quite as significantly in regard to overall design. For many years, diapers were predominately white with no color, graphics, printing, or the like. Recent diaper designs have introduced both color and graphics to diapers. Many commercially available diapers now exhibit multi-color graphics on the outer-facing surface of chassis. The outer-facing surface (i.e., diaper surface in proximity to garments while the diaper is being worn) is commonly a laminate of a polymeric film which provides some degree of liquid impermeability and a nonwoven cover which provides an improved cloth-like feel to the diaper. Diapers have been produced with multi-color graphics disposed on the polymeric film. These graphics are visible through the nonwoven outer cover which exhibits some degree of translucence. Diapers have also been produced where the multi-color graphics are disposed on the nonwoven outer cover. However, the nonwoven generally must be of a sufficient basis weight if deeply saturated colors are desired.
Color consistency and graphic integrity are more easily controlled when printing to the outer-facing surface of the chassis because the chassis or at least a large portion of the chassis exhibits minimal elasticity. As a result of having little or no elasticity, the colors and graphics on the chassis do not experience the deforming effects of elastic extension and retraction.
Color and graphics have only recently been introduced to highly extensible regions of absorbent articles such as elastic side panels. Side panels are typically constructed from a stretch laminate having at least one elastic inner layer and typically two nonwoven layers with the elastic inner layer disposed in between. One common way of achieving a colored side panel is by coloring the nonwoven. This is typically done by adding pigment, dye, or other colorant to the fiber or filaments before formation of the nonwoven. Alternatively, a nonwoven web may be printed upon utilizing common print techniques such as gravure printing, inkjet printing, and the like. However, the nonwoven webs typically used in absorbent articles and, particularly, in side panels are of a relatively low basis weight. Since nonwoven are commonly formed by random lay-down of the constituent fibers or filaments, the resulting nonwoven web may be non-uniform with areas of high fiber or filament concentration and areas of low fiber or filament concentration. Regardless of coloration techniques (e.g., printing, impregnation, coating, etc.), the nonwoven may exhibit a mottled appearance. Areas of high fiber/filament concentration may appear more saturated than areas of low fiber/filament concentration. This mottled appearance is undesirable since it communicates low quality to consumers. The basis weight of the nonwoven can be increased to compensate for the mottled appearance, but this comes at additional cost without providing a proportional functional benefit (i.e., improved softness, barrier protection, abrasion resistance, etc.).
Furthermore, the resulting stretch laminate may exhibit undesirable properties given the formation process for the laminate. For example, a stretch laminate may be formed by stretch bonding. In stretch bonding, an elastic member (such as elastic strands, bands, ribbons, films, or the like) are joined to a substrate (such as a nonwoven) while the elastic member is in a stretched configuration. The substrate is typically in a relaxed, unstretched configuration when the elastic member is joined thereto. Generally, the elastic member may be stretched to at least 25% of its relaxed length. However, when used as side panels, the elastic members may be stretched well in excess of 100% of the member's relaxed length. After joining, the elastic member is allowed to relax thereby gathering the substrate and creating a stretch laminate. The gathered substrate typically exhibits rugocities (i.e., wrinkles). When the nonwoven is colored, the rugocities can cause the nonwoven to appear mottled with varying light and dark hued areas. Again, a mottled appearance is undesirable.
Another deficiency present in absorbent articles is the lack of visual cues to aid in application of the product. This is particularly true with pant-type diapers which are often intended for use by children as they transition from wearing conventional diapers to underwear. However, young children and babies, especially once they begin walking, commonly wear pant-type diapers, which are typically easier for a user to apply and remove in a standing position and, therefore, emulate underwear. Pant-type diapers are applied by threading the wearer's legs through leg holes in the article, pulling the article over the wearer's hips and buttocks, and correcting or adjusting the fit of the article once it is in position.
It is desirable for pant-type diapers to facilitate the overall dressing learning process by making it easier for the child to successfully apply the product. Due to physiological, psychological, or other factors, most children, particularly in the 12-30 month age range, are naturally inclined to grab the most easily visible and accessible portion of the pant-type diapers, which is the front waist region. Because the pant-type diapers must be pulled over the buttocks and hips, the tendency to pull at the front of the product often leads to failure and frustration because this action increases the circumferential tension in the back of the diaper, causing it to lodge tightly at the bottom of the buttocks. Further, no vertical tension is applied to the area that could dislodge the product, which is the back waist region of the article. Accordingly, it is more advantageous for the child to grasp and pull the product from the sides, thereby distributing vertical pulling force to both the front and back regions.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent article having stretch laminate exhibit a more uniform color. It is also desirable that the stretch laminate not exhibit mottled coloration that is present in existing colored stretch laminates. It is further desirable to provide an absorbent article providing visual cues to the user or wearer.